Siena Heights women's basketball earns blowout win over Lourdes

Thursday

Jan 3, 2013 at 8:42 AMJan 3, 2013 at 8:44 AM

By John KoserDaily Telegram Sports Writer

ADRIAN — It was a blowout in every sense of the word as the Siena Heights University women's basketball team cruised to an easy victory over Lourdes 72-37 in Wednesday night's Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference game at the Siena Heights Fieldhouse.

Siena Heights (9-6, 6-3 WHAC) took a 13-0 lead to open the game, and it only got better from there as the Saints took a 36-8 lead into the half. The Saints were powered by their defense and held the Gray Wolves (4-12, 1-7) to just 10 percent shooting from the floor in the first half.

"I thought our defense played great in the first half," said Siena Heights coach Sue Syljebeck. "The second half was a little disappointing to see how our defense played. Even with bench players in, we run the same defensive system and there shouldn't have been a problem."

The Saints were rolling from the opening whistle. Siena's defense was impenetrable, holding Lourdes scoreless through their first six possessions. The Saints' offense wasn't as consistent, often scoring a sudden burst of points before cooling down again.

Siena did manage to draw fouls as they took the ball up strong in the post, putting Lourdes players in foul trouble early.

The Saints also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Gray Wolves 27-14 in the first half and 50-26 for the game.

With two minutes left in the first half, the Saints had already built a 30-point lead, 36-6, and were looking to add more. Lourdes' only points came from two 3s and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds of the half.

The second half wasn't nearly as glamorous for the Saints. Despite putting another 36 points up and shooting 50 percent from behind the arc, their offense wasn't nearly as efficient.

"Lourdes switched into a zone near the end of the first half," Syljebeck explained. "It took us a while to figure it out, and we were too unselfish at times. There were open shots, and we were looking to pass."

Siena had its starters in to begin the half, but each was pulled shortly into it as Syljebeck put in her bench players.

"Games like these are crucial to their development," Syljebeck said. "It can be frustrating at times when you don't get to play much, but they need to build experience during games like this. That's why we continued to call timeouts and coach despite the lead."

Syljebeck also pointed out that Taylor Langenderfer was a bench player last year, but has become a vital member of the team after gaining experience.

"The girls just need to be able to keep their focus, stay patient and build for the future," said Syljebeck.

It wasn't until the final nine minutes of the game that the Saints offense clicked again. Siena went on an 8-0 run and took any remaining steam out of the Gray Wolves.

The Saints were led by Morgan Warfield, who finished with 16 points, two rebounds and two assists. Sierra Calhoun had 12 points and six rebounds, while Chandler Levit finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Jen Jasinski had eight points and two rebounds, while Grace Howrigon added seven assists, five rebounds and two steals for the Saints.

Siena Heights will travel to face WHAC rival Madonna on Saturday.

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